EUGENE _ As I type this, we're a little more than 48 hours from knowing for sure which quarterback will start the Ducks' Sept. 4 season-opener with New Mexico in Autzen Stadium.

There are plenty of opinions flying around. In the end, I don't think the decision will have a huge bearing on Oregon's season.

Thomas is bigger and has a better arm. Costa has had more time inside the system.

But Costa's arm is good enough for what Oregon does in the passing game. And this is Thomas' third-year in the system. He knows what he is doing.

Costa is a good leader, but Thomas seems to have the ability to rally his teammates on the field too.

It's hard to evaluate the UO quarterbacks in practice. Quarterbacks wear red, no-contact jerseys. Many of the passing drills don't include a pass rush, and in those that do, pass rushers don't hit the quarterback. The UO defense knows the UO offense inside out.

Ultimately, UO coach Chip Kelly has to decide which guy is better equipped to move the team in a game, not a drill or, even, a scrimmage.

I think it's going to be a subjective decision because the objective evidence isn't compelling either way. And since we don't know for sure what subjective criteria Kelly, offensive coordinator Mark Helfrich and Co. will use, it's really hard for me to guess which way this will go.

It would be interesting to watch this afternoon's scrimmage, which is closed to fans and media. But, barring injury, I suspect that even if we were allowed in we wouldn't have a much better idea about who will start than we do now.